QPR would like Ryan Nelsen to delay his departure to Toronto until the club's Premier League fate has been determined. Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images

Harry Redknapp will hold talks with Ryan Nelsen next week in an attempt to convince the defender to remain at Queens Park Rangers until their Premier League fate has been decided.

Nelsen was appointed as the manager of the Major League Soccer side Toronto FC this week and his new club are keen for the 35-year-old to begin work there before 2 March, when Toronto open the 2013 MLS season with a match against Vancouver.

However, the player's contract at QPR runs until 30 June and Redknapp is determined that Nelsen stays until the team have guaranteed their survival or, as is looking more likely, are relegated to the Championship.

QPR remain bottom of the Premier League having won only two of 21 fixtures, albeit the most recent being last week's 1-0 victory at Chelsea, and Nelsen has been one of their few impressive performers since arriving on a free transfer in June.

Redknapp can ill afford to lose the New Zealand international at such a critical stage of the campaign, particularly as he has just had a £5m bid for the Sweden centre-back Jonas Olsson rejected by West Bromwich Albion, and will make that clear to Nelsen shortly after QPR host Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

QPR are under no pressure to release Nelsen given how long his contract has to run but equally they are aware of the difficulties associated with keeping hold of a player who has no desire to be at Loftus Road.

Nelsen, speaking after he was presented as the Toronto manager in Canada on Tuesday, revealed he had already had "several conversations" with Redknapp and the QPR owner, Tony Fernandes, regarding his future, pointing out that he is playing "on glass knees and glass ankles" and that his ideal scenario would be for the team to "get five straight wins" so he could leave knowing they were on their way to ensuring Premier League safety.

That is unlikely to occur, however – after playing Spurs, QPR facing daunting-looking trips to West Brom and West Ham before hosting the champions Manchester City – and so Redknapp knows he will have to convince Nelsen to focus on staying at the club most probably until mid-April at the earliest.

The manager may well have been able to let Nelsen leave sooner had he agreed a deal to sign Olsson but Steve Clarke, the West Brom manager, made clear on Thursday that the 29-year-old club captain, who signed a fresh four-year deal at the Hawthorns last October, is not for sale. It is believed, however, that Olsson is keen on a move to London and so QPR could well make an improved offer before the close of the transfer window.

Clarke confirmed that the player has a release clause in his contract but said it only "comes into play during the summer".